NYC - Accommodation Suggestions....

Four of us are looking at going to NYC sometime in the new year. I have been there two times before and stayed really close to Times Square.

We are trying to find a cheaper alternative than most hotels (which are around $250-$300 per night) in that district... I have thought about going out of the main area and using the subway to travel back and forth, but we would really prefer to be withing a 5-10 minute walk of Times Square..

Do any of you know of any friends/relatives/people who rent out condos/townhouses for 4-5 day stints?

I'm familiar with expedia, hotels.com, priceline etc.... but I'm looking for other options.

We stayed at a hotel called The 3 West Club. It is a very old building with only about 30 rooms. You get an actual key, not a card. The rooms are very minimal but aren't most places in NYC? It was much cheaper than other places and it was located straight across from St. Patrick's Cathedral and Rockefeller Center. It was within 10 minutes walk to the heart of Times Square. It was by far the most centrally located hotel we have ever chosen. Even though the hotel is very plain we will probably continue staying there because of its location. One warning, the rooms do not have any air conditioning so it is not somewhere I would ever choose during the warmer months but plenty of people live without A/C and are used to it. There was another hotel within 3 doors called The Jewel that was really neat, nicely upgraded but it cost more. My stepmom stayed there and was happy with it. It does have A/C and a cool water bottle station on each floor.

Oh, I forgot to mention that The 3 West Club is not ideal for 4 people unless you can snag one of the suites. I think they only have one room with 2 beds big enough for 4 people. 4 of our friends shared a room and it had 2 twin beds and they had quite a time sharing those tiny beds. They ended up pushing them together and all squeezing on there. The Jewel may or may not have rooms with 2 double beds, you would have to ask. Rooms are just so small in NYC that they don't have room for that.

you might be hard pushed to find a place in midtown for less than 250! as KCC we did a vrbo - it was perfect! it was a 2 bed apartment at 26 and lexingtion (took about 15 min to walk to times square) i think the fee is from 175-350 a night depending on the time of year - i like living like a local when i travel- it seems like a more authentic experience!
i loved NYC- a great time had by all!

I just stayed at the Doubletree on West 36th between 8th and 9th Avenue for $169 per night. Very comfortable room with access to a large number of restaurants at various price points, Penn Station, Macy's and the theater district.

I actually stayed in the Pod and would stay there again. There are rooms with their own bathrooms, but the bathroom thing honestly wasn't an issue for me at all. Each bathroom is individual, so you're the only one in there at any one time, and they're super clean.

Not everyone can afford the other options

The hotel rooms are small, but how much time do you spend in there? It's clean, modern, the beds were comfortable and location great. That's enough for me

Mr. BB stayed at the Pod (in a room with its own bathroom ) and he liked it. It's not really my type of hotel but he was there for biz and is the type who likes to check out new things and concepts, and he was intrigued by the whole self-check in approach. He like the high-tech rooms and had no complaints.

Mr. BB stayed at the Pod (in a room with its own bathroom ) and he liked it. It's not really my type of hotel but he was there for biz and is the type who likes to check out new things and concepts, and he was intrigued by the whole self-check in approach. He like the high-tech rooms and had no complaints.

When my friends and I go to NYC, we usually stay at the Washington Jefferson Hotel on West 57th (maybe? It's definitely in the west 50's...just can't remember the exact number). It's about two blocks off of Times Square. Very close to the Wicked theater and very close to a subway stop. They have deals online depending on the number of nights you plan on staying. It's usually been around $170 a night when we book with their deals.

Same as the rest...small rooms, but good enough for sleeping and showering (which is private in your room). The staff has been very nice and helpful whenever we've stayed there too.

I was looking for a place for my mother and sister to stay (they are visiting next week), and got a great deal on Groupon at a hotel in the Flatiron district. I can let you know it goes for future reference My advice if you are looking for apartments, contact as many as possible, as the dates can go FAST. I used airbnb.com, and while I haven't reserved anything thorugh them (as I found the Groupon deal); other friends have spoken highly of them.